


Promises

by hockeylvr59 (gleefanatic)



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:47:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22166536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gleefanatic/pseuds/hockeylvr59
Summary: When you go to lunch with your friend and return to his apartment to find a baby left outside everything changes.
Relationships: Auston Matthews/Reader, Morgan Rielly/Reader
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

A bright smile lit up your face as you walked down the Toronto street with Auston’s arm slung over your shoulders. You couldn’t help but rib him a little over the game last night and how he couldn’t just not score against your favorite team. He’d rolled his eyes but tugged your body closer to his to fend off the winter air.

You’d met Auston shortly after you arrived in Toronto for graduate school. It had taken every ounce of willpower to keep your cool because as a lifelong hockey fan you were more than aware of just how talented he was. He was attractive too, but it never once crossed your mind that he would go for a girl like you, no one ever had before and they weren’t hockey superstars. Still, he was easy to talk to and you settled into a casual friendship with the twenty one year old.

With your graduate school schedule and his hockey schedule it was hard for anything more than the occasional text messages and phone calls but you both put the effort in to actually hang out at least once a month. Today you’d gone out to lunch and were now headed back to his apartment to watch a couple movies and just relax. You hadn’t seen him since before the holidays and yeah, you’d missed him just a little.

Entering his building, you worked off your hat and gloves while he summoned the elevator and by the time it arrived, you had your extra outerwear tucked back into your coat pockets.

“So…what movie are we watching?” You asked as you leaned against the elevator wall.

“Whatever you want. Within reason of course.” He shot back and you shook your head with a laugh.

“Well, I added the new Netflix movie about Robert the Bruce to my list and haven’t watched it yet. Or there’s always Marvel or DC movies, I may not be an avid fan but those are always good. Oh…or Disney, those are classics…”

Your rambling about movie choices was cut short when the elevator door opened and the moment you turned down Auston’s hallway you ran into his back when he froze in place. Peeking out from around him you gasped seeing a carseat sitting in front of his door with a backpack placed next to it. From the car seat you could hear soft crying and glancing up at Auston you could see the pure panic on his face.

Immediately all of your maternal insticts jumped into action and you tugged Auston toward his doorway before crouching down to peek inside the carseat. The baby inside was tiny, really tiny and immediately you were filled with a mix of emotions. Rage as to how someone could just leave a baby like this. Fear because you’d watched enough cliche tv to know what this all meant. And protectiveness because it was clear that Auston had had no idea and the baby certainly hadn’t done anything wrong.

In the minute it took you to make your initial evaluations of the situation, Auston hadn’t moved a muscle. Standing up you reached for his keys that were dangling loosely from his fingers and quickly unlocked the door.

“Auston…go inside and call your parents and agent.” There was a faint recognition on his face that you had spoken and after a moment he stumbled into his apartment. Once he was out of sight, you turned back to the baby whose cries had gotten louder. Quickly you unbuckled the infant before gently lifting them out of the seat to cradle them toward your chest.

“How could your mama leave you here little one…” You whispered quickly kissing its head before using your free hand to tug the zipper of the backpack open to see if there was any information there. Inside you found a birth certificate with Auston listed as the father, and though the mother’s name was listed you certainly weren’t familiar with it. The birth certificate signaled that the baby was a boy, Owen Alexander Matthews, who was born three days ago and as you read the information you snuggled him closer to your chest. Behind the offical document was a note that read that the mother couldn’t handle raising a child and that she knew the baby would be in better hands with Auston.

Besides the few papers there wasn’t much else in the backpack except for a small container of formula, a few full bottles and a small supply of diapers and wipes. There was a single change of clothes but it was clear that this baby’s mother never planned on keeping him and from the looks of it brought him here as soon as they were released from the hospital.

Though Auston was listed as the father on the birth certificate, you knew that the first thing he, his agent, and his parents would want confirmed was that he actually was the father. Pulling your phone out of your pocket you quickly dialed up a friend that worked for a biological lab and through whispers asked if she could come over to take swabs and run them for you. After getting agreement that she would be over as soon as she could slip away for a late lunch you gathered everything up from in the hall and carefully carried them and the baby into Auston’s apartment.

Inside, Auston was sitting on the couch, his head in his hands and his phone was nowhere in sight.

“Aus…” You murmured as you quickly laid the baby back in the car seat for a moment before moving over to his side. “Did you call anyone?” Even without asking you knew the answer was no, but his lack of reaction to you confirmed that. “Alright. Unlock your phone, go take a shower and calm down okay?” You urged wrapping your arms around him for a moment when he finally stood up and handed you his phone.

As you heard the shower start in Auston’s bathroom you opened up his contact list, quickly finding his agent to make the first call. While none of these phone calls were going to be pleasant, you were certain that this would be the most painful. His agent was brusk and angry and you had to insist multiple times that there was nothing he could do right this minute and that he should not come running but simply be prepared for any fall out before you were able to hang up.

At the end of that first call you cringed for a moment hearing the little boy wail and something in you knew that he had to be hungry. So as you returned to the contact list for Auston’s mom, you ran one of the premade bottles under hot water and stashed the others in the fridge before again gathering the baby into your arms.

Once dialed, the phone rang for a minute and just as you were worried that she wouldn’t pick up Ema Matthews’ voice came through the line.

“Oh thank god…” You breathed, letting the little boy latch onto the bottle, immediately soothing his cries. “Mrs. Matthews, you don’t know me but I’m a friend of Auston and I…your son needs you and Mr. Matthews to come to Toronto asap.”

It was clear that she was confused and you had to fight back tears of your own as you spoke an explanation. “I…Auston and I were out to lunch and were coming back to his apartment to watch a movie and when we got here there was a baby outside his door.” Her gasp was audible over the phone and you rocked the baby boy in your arms slightly as you wanted for a verbal response. At first there was just a murmuring of Spanish before she started firing a million questions at you.

“No. I. I don’t know who the mother was. At least I didn’t recognize the name on the birth certificate. Yes. Looking at the baby he certainly has some of Auston’s features though I have a friend coming to take DNA samples to confirm paternity. No. She just left him and he’s only three days old and he’s so tiny. I don’t know. He…he hasn’t said anything since he saw the car seat and I…I tried to get him to call you but he was just on the couch with his head in his hands and I sent him to go shower but I don’t know.”

Throughout your explanation you could hear Ema calling for Auston’s dad and after a long moment she assured you that they were booking the first flight available and would be there as soon as they could. You were about to hang up when she asked your name and after hearing it you could catch a bit of a smile through the phone.

“Y/N. Thank you for being there. For taking care of Auston. We’ll see you soon.”

Ending that call, you noticed that the baby, Owen, had finished eating and after searching the bag for a burb cloth to no avail, you simply grabbed some paper towels to drape over your shoulder before gently adjusting Owen onto it and patting his back lightly to burp him. Once he’d burped you just let him remain there while you searched Auston’s contacts one more time. The sound of the shower had disappeared but Auston had yet to reappear and you didn’t want to push him yet, knowing that there were a million things running through his head.

You didn’t know any of his teammates but you knew the Marleau’s were like his second set of parents and that they had young children so maybe they still had a few things that could help until things were figured out. Dialing Patrick’s number you bit your lip from the heightened emotions of the past hour and when he picked up you once again explained what had happened before asking if maybe they had a pack and play or something from the boys that Auston could borrow so that the baby didn’t have to sleep in his carseat. You also mentioned him seeing if they had any infant clothes though you were sure that was a long shot. With confirmation that he would talk with his wife and bring over whatever they could find you thanked him and ended what was hopefully the last call you had to make.

Sighing softly as you once again surveyed the things in the backpack, you knew that they wouldn’t even last twenty four hours. So opening your own phone you quickly pulled up amazon and found the brand of formula that had been brought, a couple gallons of distilled water for mixing, a small pack of wipes and a pack of diapers. Looking at the bottles you ordered another set of the same brand as well as a set of pacifiers, a pack of white onesies and two more sleepers along with a bottle of infant laundry detergent. Hoping that would be enough to triage the situation you placed the order for same day delivery and just as you pressed submit there was a knock on the door.

Peeking through the peep hole you saw your friend and immediately let out a massive sigh of relief. Quickly you let her in and when she saw your face and the baby curled against your shoulder her eyes went wide and she pulled you into a hug.

“Wow…you weren’t kidding.” She mumbled and when you pulled back she pulled out two swab kits from her jacket pocket. “I’ll take the baby for a minute and swab him if you want to get the father’s DNA?” She offered and you both knew that really she just wanted to give you the chance to check on him because it was clear that the baby had needed all of the attention to this point.

“Yeah sure, just tear the wrapper, uncap, swab the cheek and recap?” You asked wanting to make sure that you didn’t screw it up. When she nodded you passed Owen off to her and took the swab she was offering before slipping down the hall to Auston’s bedroom.

The lights were off in the bedroom but the bathroom light cast a glow into the room. You could see Auston curled up on the bed, his body huddled in on itself. Gently you crawled in behind him, your fingers trailing up and down his arm as you waited for him to respond.

After a moment he turned to face you and you could see the tears trailing down his cheeks. Brushing your thumb to wipe them away you then ran your fingers through his hair moving it out of his face.

“I need to get a cheek swab of DNA from you so that we can confirm if he’s yours or not.” You whispered, hesitant to actually say the words. Auston just nodded and opened his mouth and after tearing the plastic wrapper of the swab you got the sample and then laid the sealed tube onto the bed beside you.

“I called your agent and put him on standby, your mom and dad are on their way here to help, and I called Patrick to see if they had any baby supplies they could loan.” It was clear that he was hearing you but that everything was still just floating above him and while you understood, you were also slightly annoyed.

“Auston. I know this is hard. But I need you to get up out of this bed and try and face this because hiding from it won’t do you any good.” For a moment his face showed dismay but eventually he nodded and you slipped off the bed to return the sample and reclaim the baby so that your friend could get back to work.

She left promising that she would rush the samples and email you the report as soon as it came through and you thanked her once again for her help before taking Owen and moving to sit on the couch, baby cradled in your arms.

Five minutes passed before Auston came staggering down the hall and when he sat on the couch next to you, his hand rested on your knee, his way of seeking some level of comfort through touch.

“I think you should hold him.” You declared after a moment of silence.

“I’ve never held a baby before. Not that tiny anyway.” He mumbled and you found yourself smiling.

“It’s not hard Aus. Just make sure to support his head.” Motioning for Auston to cradle his arms like yours you nodded and turned, half kneeling on the couch in order to transfer the infant into his large arms. “See, there you go.” You assured him, watching carefully as Auston took in the sight of the baby for the first time.

“He’s so small…” He whispered and it was clear that he was afraid he’d hurt him.

“You’re doing fine and yeah he’s small, three days old according to the paperwork. His name is Owen. Owen Alexander Matthews.”

“Do you really think he’s mine?” Auston asked and though you knew he wanted to hear that you didn’t, you couldn’t lie to him.

“I’m almost positive he is. He has your nose. And his eyes are deeply set like yours too.” As you spoke you tapped your finger against the baby’s nose before bopping Auston’s as well. “But I mean, I don’t recognize the mother’s name, not that I know who you’ve slept with.” You kind of regretted the words the moment you said them and were grateful for the baby’s cries that quickly filled the air.

Auston jumped a bit in response to the sound and you pressed your hand to his arm. Leaning forward to sniff at the baby’s bottom you nodded to yourself before standing to grab a few things from the backpack.

“Y/N.” Auston called, his voice strained.

“Relax. He just needs a diaper change. Hold on while I get the diaper and wipes.” With the items in hand you took the baby from his arms and moved to settle yourself on the floor of the living room.

“Do me a favor and get me a towel.” You directed and once he brought one back you laid it down on the floor before laying Owen on top of it. Slipping his little pants down his legs, you unbuttoned his onesie and tucked it up behind him before making sure that the wipes and diaper were ready to go. Once the diaper was unhooked you used it to clean as much as you could from the babies bottom, laying a wipe over him to protect yourself from pee. Once the old diaper was off to the side and Owen was wiped clean you quickly fastened the new diaper up and redressed the infant.

“See…piece of cake.” You assured Auston. “Now you might want to go get a plastic shopping bag so that I can put the old diaper in there and it can be taken out so it doesn’t stink up the apartment.”

With the dirty diaper bagged, you settled Owen back into Auston’s arms on the couch knowing that in order to accept all of this, Auston needed a chance to bond with the baby.

“I’ll be right back, I’m just going to toss this into the garbage chute.” Auston was clearly uncomfortable but that was a good thing. “Relax, I’ll be gone less than a minute, you can handle it dad.” Bumping against Auston’s knee to assure him that he would be fine, you left the apartment, taking an extra twenty seconds or so to try and compose yourself. Auston needed you, that was obvious, and you wanted to help, but there was that faint part of you that had always wondered if maybe it could be you someday. That was obviously not the case and right now he really needed a friend, at least until his parents arrived and his team found out and he had more support than he could ever need. So until then, any hurt you were feeling just needed pushed to the back of your mind.

Fighting back those emotions until you were alone in your own apartment, you took a deep breath and let yourself back into Auston’s apartment where he was sitting and just staring down at Owen who had fallen back asleep in his arms.

“See. I told you you could do it.” You declared as you reached for the tv remote. Now that things were mildly settled, you needed some form of distraction and you had come over to watch a movie. “So..what are we going to watch?” You asked.

“You pick.” Auston murmured not taking his eyes off of the baby and you nodded flipping on Moana before curling up beside the two Matthews boys. You stayed there until there was a knock at the door with the amazon delivery. As you carried all of the supplies inside, Auston gaped at you and you simply shrugged.

“He didn’t come with much, probably not enough to get through a single day so I ordered some things…” You explained, as you came back to the couch. There weren’t any interruptions for the rest of the movie but before you could start another Patrick Marleau and his wife were at the door with a pack and play and a few other supplies.

Their visit was followed by setting up the pack and play and starting a load of laundry so that Owen would have clean things to put on when he inevitably messed up his current clothing with either spit up or an exploding diaper. After that, dinner had been ordered and as the clock struck nine, Auston’s parents finally arrived. You were more than a little relieved because your emotions were drained and now you could finally go home.

As you gathered up your things Auston spotted you and his hand gently reached for your arm.

“Where are you going?” He whispered.

“Your parents are here now, you don’t need me.” You replied shrugging.

“Yes I do.” He responded, his hand falling from your arm to your hip. “Please just stay tonight. I…I don’t know how you’d managed to know how to take care of the baby and I’m sure my mom would do just fine but please, please just stay tonight.”

The earnest expression on his face made you sigh and after a moment you nodded, no energy to attempt to fight him. It was late, it had been a crazy long day, and everyone was tired so after getting his parents set up in the guest room, you planned on taking the couch, grabbing more pillows and blankets from the closet. Again Auston spotted you and his hand stopped yours from pulling anything off the shelf of the linen closet.

“Come to bed.” He breathed and his fingers laced with yours as he tugged you to his room where Owen was asleep in the pack and play. Auston continued to hold your hand as he pulled open drawers and handed you a spare t-shirt and sweats and then motioned for you to change in his bathroom.

When you returned to the bedroom, he was laying on his back, a hand over his eyes. Silently, you padded around the bed and slipped under the sheets next to him. The moment he felt your weight he turned to face you and his hand pulled your body closer to his own.

“I’m so scared. How am I supposed to be a dad?” He whispered.

“I promise you it’s all going to be okay. You have your family and your hockey family who will do everything they can to help. Just take it one day at a time.”

“What about you?” He asked, his voice almost inaudible.

Pressed up against Auston, you could feel his breathing steady out, little puffs of air near your ear. Every once and awhile he’d shudder until you rubbed circles into his side. “You have me. I promise it will all be okay.” You finally declared before letting sleep take you as well, knowing it was only a matter of time before you’d be awoken by Owen’s cries.


	2. Chapter 2

You’d been awoken by Owen’s cries twice that first night, though the first, Auston had managed to gather up Owen before padding down the hall where you could hear his mom helping him through the feeding leading you to roll over and go back to sleep. The second time you’d woken up first and everyone else the apartment remained sleeping while you snuggled the infant on Auston’s couch while the baby worked on another bottle.

It was shortly before seven that you were officially woken up for the day. Thankfully it was Sunday and therefore you didn’t have classes but Owen’s wails were certainly a less pleasant alarm clock than your normal one. Heading over to the pack and place you cringed at the smell of a dirty diaper. Picking Owen up it was clear that Auston had changed the baby’s diaper last because the diaper had leaked everywhere.

“Auston…I need your help.” You directed moving to the bed to kick at his legs with your knee since both your hands were currently occupied. When he stirred he just groaned and looked at you and you rolled your eyes. “The diaper exploded. I need help getting Owen cleaned up please.”

With Auston thankfully trailing after you, you headed out to his kitchen, grabbing the towel you’d been using to change Owen yesterday and laying it out over the table. With the baby laid on top of the towel, you motioned for Auston to watch him while you washed your hands before getting a clean diaper, wipes, a new onesie, and sleeper as well as a cotton swab from the bathroom.

The look on Auston’s face signaled that he was now finally aware of the mess Owen had made and you sighed as you bumped him out of the way so that you could undress the baby boy. With the messy clothes off, you tossed them in the sink for a quick hand scrub once Owen was settled and turned back to the baby.

“Now who changed you last Owen? Huh?” You murmured to the baby in a teasing tone causing Auston to flush in embarrassment. “Oh daddy did, didn’t he. Well, he tried but we’ve still got some things to teach him, don’t we.” As quickly as you could you worked on getting the baby changed, again walking Auston through the process.

“You’ll get it, it just takes some time.” You assured him. Once Owen’s diaper was on, you grabbed the cotton swab and after running it under warm water in the sink, moved to clean around the umbilical cord. The young Maple Leafs Center looked completely confused because he obviously hadn’t paid much attention to the stub before.

“What are you doing?” He questioned as you took a soft paper towel to dry the area you had just cleaned.

“I’m cleaning his umbilical cord. You know, the thing that gave him all of his nutrients while he was growing before birth.”

“I thought they got rid of those after delivery?” His confusion was kind of cute and you smiled as you got Owen completely redressed in clean clothes.

“They cut the cord, yes, but there’s a little stub that remains until it dries out and falls off. Until then little one here just gets sponge baths to keep him clean so that we don’t cause the cord to get infected.” Auston let out a soft ‘oh’ and you kissed Owen’s head as you picked him up before attempting to hand him off to Auston. “Now go hang with dad for a few.” You declared. “Unless dad wants to clean the poop off the clothes and then make breakfast.”

With that comment, Auston was quick to take him and they headed into the living room to sit on the couch, the sounds of SportsCenter filling the living room. After quickly scrubbing the clothes as best you could, you took them to the laundry room before returning to the kitchen to wash your hands once again before starting on some breakfast for the Matthews crew.

Knowing Owen would be hungry soon, you made up a fresh batch of bottles since the last of the premade had been used during the night. When one was heated, you took it to Auston so that he could feed Owen and then retreated to the kitchen, checking your phone as you paced the space, occasionally flipping food. There was an email in your inbox and when you opened it, everything about the past 24 hours was confirmed. Quickly you forwarded it to Auston’s email so that he could send it to his agent or whoever else might need it before you moved food off of burners and went to sit next to Auston.

“I just got the DNA report email, he’s yours, Aus…” You murmured. Running his fingers through his hair, Auston nodded before resting his hand on Owen’s belly.

“Yeah, I guess I was kind of expecting you to say that. I looked at the birth certificate last night and the name is vaguely familiar I guess.” Obviously, it wasn’t someone he’d had a committed relationship with that was for certain. “I still don’t know how I’m going to manage all of this but he’s my son so…I guess I need to step up and figure it out huh.”

“That would certainly be the responsible thing to do…and the right thing.” You agreed. “You hungry? I made food and I can take him while you eat?” You offered. Instead of the agreement that you expected, Auston just shook his head and declared that you could go ahead and eat first.

The rest of that day was spent with Auston calling Leafs management to update them on the situation before he had you help him shop for things for Owen so that he could turn what was supposed to be a small office into a nursery.

With Ema Matthews sticking around Toronto to help Auston until he could hire a nanny, you returned your focus to your studies, though you made sure to check in with Auston every day and popped over to his place a few times a week. You weren’t sure why you felt like you needed to help. Auston now had everyone in his life backing him up with Owen, but for some reason, you still felt like you needed to be around.

____

It had been about two and a half weeks since Owen was found outside Auston’s apartment when your phone rang in the middle of class. You had your phone set to only ring for a limited number of people, namely Auston and his mom.

Apologizing to your professor you slipped out of the classroom and answered your phone to hear Ema muttering curses in Spanish under her breath.

“Is everything okay?” You asked softly. Auston was currently out of town so you figured that Ema was calling because she had a question or something. Instead, she declared that she needed to fly back to Arizona for a day or so because one of the girls needed her and you were the only person she could think of to stay with Owen.

Auston had been interviewing nanny’s for Owen but hadn’t found one that he felt comfortable enough with to hire. So you knew that Ema was under a lot of stress trying to help her son but also be there for both her daughters.

“How soon do you need me?” You questioned, nodding when she told you her flight time and when she had to leave for the airport. Looking at your watch you knew there were only another twenty minutes of class left and you assured her that you would stop at your apartment for a few things after class and then be over within the hour.

The next twenty minutes dragged on, this was the first time you would actually watch Owen completely solo and while you knew you could handle it, you were a bit anxious all the same.

A quick stop at your apartment allowed you to gather up some clothes and things you’d need to crash at Auston’s, it also allowed you to email your professors for the next day explaining that a friend needed an emergency baby sitter and that the baby was far too little for you to bring him to class and expose him to the germs on a college campus so you would be absent the following day.

It was as you stepped into Auston’s apartment that you finally relaxed, quickly taking Owen from Ema as she once again thanked you while she gathered up her things in order to head back to the states. She insisted that she would be back the day after tomorrow but that Auston would likely beat her since they played a doubleheader that spanned tonight and tomorrow before the team would fly home.

Once Ema left after updating you on when Owen would likely need fed and changed again, you simply laid on the couch, baby cuddled against you. It wasn’t long before he fell asleep and once he had you went to lay him down in his pretty new crib before sitting yourself at the kitchen counters to try and get a few assignments completed.

It felt easy, comfortable just taking care of Owen, working on homework and making yourself dinner. Knowing that the Leafs game would be starting soon, you turned the tv on while cradling a freshly fed Owen against your shoulder while you burped him. When you had settled him into the cradle of your arm you shot a selfie of the two of you, you just so happened to be wearing a leafs t-shirt and Owen was snuggled up in a blue and white sleeper. Attaching the picture in a text to Auston you told him to ‘kick some butt because your two biggest fans are watching.’

You were surprised when your phone rang seconds later, with Auston’s picture appearing on the screen.

“Are you in my apartment?” He questioned.

“No I just kidnapped your son, yes I’m in your apartment.” You retorted quickly becoming aware that his mother had failed to inform him that you were on baby watching duty. Or if she had, he hadn’t seen it.

“Where’s my mom?” He questioned and you bit your lip before speaking.

“She didn’t let you know that she had to go back to Arizona for something for one of your sisters? She asked me to come watch Owen until you came back?” Auston let out a shaky sigh on the other end of the phone and though you couldn’t see him you were certain he was running his fingers through his hair.

“No, she didn’t. But it’s fine. Thank you for watching him.” He breathed. You knew he was upset with his mom but he couldn’t really blame her because he was asking so much from her in putting her life on hold to help him with Owen.

“Take a deep breath, everything is fine. Just go score some goals for us.” You assured him. “I can hold down the fort for a day or so.”

“Thank you,” Auston said softly before hanging up the phone and after a moment you let your head fall back against the back of the couch.

“The things I do for your daddy.” You whispered to Owen, who stretched a little before sinking himself back into your body. “I must be comfy huh little dude, I’m much softer than both your dad and grandma.” Most of the time you hated your body but for the moment you didn’t mind it because Owen clearly felt safe and comfortable pressed against all of your curves. 

The Leafs won the game that night, Auston scoring two goals, ones that you secretly hoped were him scoring for you and Owen. Though you’d hoped to hear from him, your phone remained silent as you got Owen ready for bed before settling in for the night yourself.

The following day was consumed with cleaning up Auston’s apartment a little while taking care of Owen and trying to stay on top of your assignments though you were missing your class lectures. Again, at game time you’d settled with Owen into the couch to watch his daddy play. Again you’d sent Auston a selfie so that he knew that you were both watching and rooting for him.

The only difference in your routine that night was that you were awoken shortly after 2am when Auston snuck into his room to change clothes before crawling into bed with you.

Auston was the only man you’d ever shared a bed with and while it was something you could certainly get used to, it was the only part of this routine that wouldn’t stay the same in the coming months.


	3. Chapter 3

Stepping out of your final morning class, you absentmindedly reached for your phone, a habit that you were even more religious about since Owen had appeared. Notifications were blowing it up and as you caught Auston’s name on the news reports your heart stopped for a minute panicked that they had found out about Owen.

Auston had very quickly made the decision to keep his son out of the press for as long as he could, a decision that you fully supported. After all, the situation would likely bring negative media to the team and though he was committed to being a dad, there was still a lot of things that Auston was working on getting settled. In your mind, it would be better to wait until summer or at least until he was prepared to handle any backlash from fans that may occur. With the number of texts you were receiving on a daily basis from Auston, needing to make sure that he was doing this or that correctly, and the fact that he had broken down on you crying at least more than once since that first day, now definitely didn’t seem like the right time.

Opening one of the first links on your screen, you quickly skimmed the article and were relieved when the reports had nothing to do with Owen, but rather that Auston had signed a five-year extension contract with Toronto. Immediately you sent him a text of congratulations, honestly overjoyed that it was one less weight on his shoulders because you knew that he’d been thinking about it more now than ever.

By the time you got out of your afternoon class a few hours later, there was a response inviting you to join them for a family dinner. Sadly you had a networking event to attend and so you responded that you would have to do something to celebrate another day but that he should bask in the achievement with his parents and Owen.

The event that evening was nice, well put together, and you had had a few really good conversations with people already established in the field. All the same, as you stepped into your building you were ready to get the heels off of your feet and just crawl into bed. As soon as the elevator doors closed, the heels moved from your feet to dangling from your fingers while you dug for the keys to your apartment in your purse.

WIth eyes focused downward as you approached your door, you jumped when you heard a familiar masculine voice from the wall to your left.

“Oh my god!” You exclaimed, shoes dropping to the floor as you clutched a hand against your chest. “Holy shit Auston. You scared me.” You complained, now actually paying attention to the world around you. Auston was leaning against the wall with a bottle of wine in his hand and a cardboard box tucked under his arm. “What are you doing here?” You added questioningly. “You’re supposed to be celebrating with your family.”

“We did. Now I want to celebrate with you.” He responded. “Can I come in? I brought dessert. Your favorite.” Nodding as you crouched down to pick up your dropped heels, you quickly twisted your keys in the lock of your door, motioning for Auston to head in before following.

By the time you had closed your door and flipped the lock, Auston had moved to your kitchen, finding glasses from your cabinets so that he could open and pour the wine. With heels being tossed into the corner, you slipped out of your jacket leaving you in just the simple navy dress you’d decided you looked decent enough in earlier that day.

Approaching the island in your kitchen you lifted the lid of the cardboard box, peeking at the dessert until Auston smacked your hand away.

“No peeking.” He insisted though it was clear that he wasn’t all that serious about it.

“Yeah, yeah. I think I’ve earned it.” You murmured grabbing a few plates as well as silverware to serve the chocolate cheesecake that looked absolutely fantastic. It was your favorite and it made you smile for a moment at the fact he’d remembered. The moment you turned Auston traded you the plates and forks for a glass of wine and you nodded in appreciation before taking a sip.

“Wow…that’s good wine.” You commented, more used to the $5 Arbour Mist than whatever this had cost him. When the only response you got was a self-satisfied smirk you rolled your eyes before leaning back against the counter. Taking another sip before just swirling the wine around the glass you watched as the muscles of his back and arms flexed while he cut and served up slices of cheesecake, before picking both plates up as well as his own glass of wine and motioning with a nod toward your couch.

Sinking into the soft fabric, you tucked one leg under yourself, getting comfortable before taking the plate Auston was handing you. “I’m really proud of you, you know. This hasn’t been an easy month but today proves that you can do anything you put your mind to. Like be a dad and sign a 5yr/11 million dollar contract to play hockey.”

The smile that appeared on Auston’s face was one of contentment and you couldn’t help but wonder how many glasses of wine he’d had before arriving at your apartment. Leaning forward to put the wine glass on your coffee table, you picked up the fork to take a bite of the cheesecake and immediately flushed when you basically moaned taking the first bite.

“Double wow…I don’t know where you found this but I might have to keep you around if you provide wine like that and cheesecake like this.” You teased, finally making Auston chuckle though it initially came out a bit strained. He hadn’t really said much since he arrived and it caused you to watch him for a moment concerned.

“Is everything okay?” You finally asked, setting your plate down for a moment to scoot across the couch a bit closer to him. Nodding, Auston set his own plate and glass aside before reaching to tug you to his side, his arms wrapping around you in a hug.

“Everything is fine.” He assured you, his fingertips trailing up and down your back. “Well, I mean everything that isn’t fine I’ll figure out. Today’s supposed to be a good day and I really just wanted to come here to say thank you. I honestly…I don’t know if today would have happened if you hadn’t been there to help me keep it all together.”

“You don’t have to thank me, Aus…I care about you. That’s what friends do.”

“Please y/n…I do need to thank you so please just let me. Thank you for being a much better friend than I ever could have asked for. You don’t even know how much everything you’ve done means to me. You have been my sounding board and my voice of reason through all of this and I appreciate it.”

If he kept it up he was going to make you cry, and if you started to cry you were really going to end up down the rabbit hole of emotions tonight. Twisting slightly to get a better hug, you pressed your nose into his neck for a moment before pulling away.

“I’ll always be here for you Aus.” You assured him before sliding back on the couch a bit to regain the glass of wine and cheesecake that were both still waiting to be finished. “And thanks for this. I really needed it after that event. I’m completely exhausted.”

Auston stayed for another hour, talking about what one thing he was going to spoil himself with from his new contract, what he wanted to do for his parents as a way to say thank you for putting up with him and taking care of Owen this past month. You suggested that he get his sisters a spa day just as a reminder that he loves and is grateful for them too, even if they hadn’t been able to actually come up to Toronto to meet Owen yet.

When he finally left you cursed yourself quietly because it was things like this, moments when he acknowledged you that deepened the feelings for him that you were trying to avoid because he didn’t see you the same way you saw him.

____

The fact that you would do anything for Auston because even more apparent two days later when you arrived at his apartment to find him pacing, Ema trying to calm him in Spanish while she cradled Owen in her arms. She spotted you first and after murmuring something else to Auston, disappeared with Owen into the nursery.

Before you could even ask what was wrong, Auston had you wrapped in another hug, and as he held you close you could feel the tears from his eyes dripping onto your head.

“I don’t know what to do. I can’t find a nanny.” He whispered and peeking around his body you could see that his coffee table was covered with folders and papers strewn everywhere.

“What’s the problem? You said that there were a few you liked.” You inquired, rubbing a palm over Auston’s back before pulling away to pull him toward the stack of papers. Sighing, Auston followed while rubbing at his face to wipe the tears away. It was clear that the pressure was getting to him to find someone so that his mom could return to the states. He knew that it wasn’t fair to his dad or his sisters to keep his mom here any more than necessary and this wasn’t the first time that he’d voiced his concerns to you.

“There are, but none of them have 24/7 availability to be a live-in nanny. The few that had that open just, I don’t know, it didn’t feel right and I’m not sure I can trust them.” Resting one hand on Auston’s knee as he sat beside you, you thumbed through files, immediately becoming overwhelmed so you could only imagine where he was at mentally. You’d told him from the moment he’d started interviewing that he should only pick someone who he felt he could trust implicitly. Not only was it his son’s life that he was putting into their hands, but it was his home, and to an extent his money.

“Alright, so which ones do you like and what hours do they have open?” You asked, ideally looking to be able to find the right folders in this mess. Auston reached forward to hand you a pair of folders and then ran his fingers through his hair.

“Those are the two that I would hire if they had the right hours but they both can only do daytime, seven am to five pm with very little exception. They can do weekends but again, only during the day. I just…I don’t know what to do. My job is a primarily night time job and road trips mean nights away and why is this so hard?”

Sitting silently for a moment you debated whether you were actually about to let the thought in your head leave your mouth. “Is there one that can do a rare evening if need be?” Taking the files from you to flip through them for a moment, Auston nodded.

“They both could as an exception, not a rule.” He said. “But again I don’t see how that helps me.”

“Which one do you like more?” You asked and when Auston handed you a file you took a few minutes to read through it before handing it back. “Hire her.”

“Y/N. I already told you that I can’t. I need someone that can be here overnight with Owen, you’re smart enough that I shouldn’t have to tell you that.” Letting out a deep breath you rolled your eyes at him, placing a hand on his knee again before standing and moving to grab a bottle of water from his fridge.

“I can’t believe I’m about to do this.” You mumbled to yourself but really you knew that there wasn’t another choice at least not right now. When you looked up from the fridge Auston had followed you and was just staring at you confused.

“Hire her. She can work from 7-5. I am always done with class long before then anyway and she can occasionally stay late if I have an event I have to attend. Hire her to work days and I’ll cover nights where needed Auston. It doesn’t make that much of a difference to me whether I sleep here in your guest bedroom or back at my own apartment.”

Sipping at the water you waited for him to respond and you had downed about half the bottle before he opened his mouth to speak.

“Are…are you sure?” He implored, and while you appreciated him checking because your mind was screaming about just how bad of an idea this was, he needed you and Owen needed you.

“Yes, I’m sure Auston. I mean unless you don’t trust me.”

“Of course I trust you. Pretty sure I trust you more than I trust myself when it comes to Owen most days.”

“Then it’s settled, call and hire her before someone else does.” Tossing the now empty bottle you moved to leave the kitchen to go see Ema and Owen, but once again Auston pulled you into his body.

“You’re the best. I owe you one.” He said, his breath tickling your ear and forcing you to fight back a shiver.

“You owe me more than one, but who’s counting.” You teased, patting him on the chest as you turned to venture down the hallway of his apartment. “I better hear you start dialing.” You called over your shoulder. This was going to be an interesting situation but the moment you saw Owen and was handed the six-week-old infant from his grandma, all those anxieties ceased and you felt at peace.

“The nanny situation is taken care of.” You murmured to Ema who wrapped you into a half hug around the baby in your arms.

“I heard.” She replied. “Thank you. My son doesn’t realize just how lucky he is that you’re in his life.”

“I know.” You whispered softly.

“Someday he will, someday he’ll see.” She assured you. You weren’t going to get your hopes up on that but the wistful side of you hoped that she was right. Either way, you had promises to keep and you couldn’t let Auston or Owen down now.


	4. Chapter 4

Taking care of Owen was honestly the brightest part of each and every day. He was the happiest baby and watching him grow was such a blessing.

The day before he turned two months old you’d asked Auston to bring you a puck home. Though he was confused, he had complied, leaving it on the island so you’d find it. The team had left for a road trip early the following morning and Auston was at dinner with a few of the guys when you’d attached him into a group chat with his parents and sisters as well as some of the guys whose numbers he’d insisted you needed if you were going to be taking care of Owen frequently.

Since you weren’t there to see it, you could only imagine Auston’s reaction when he saw the photo of Owen lounging on the couch with his Carlton stuffed bear next to him and the puck with a silver ‘2’ written on it laying on his stomach. Things had been too crazy for anyone to think about documenting Owen’s first month development but it was something that you wanted to make sure happened from here on out. Especially with Auston on the road so much, you thought it would be a good way for him to reflect and look back on Owen growing up.

The photo received glowing comments from Auston’s family as well as some of the guys who loved that you had included hockey into the theme. You already knew what you were going to do at months three and four and you were sure Auston would love those as well.

____

You’d officially been helping to take care of Owen for a month the first time you’d met any of Auston’s teammates. With the boys having an off day besides an early practice you weren’t even supposed to be over at Auston’s that day since he could take care of his son when the nanny left.

Plans changed though when the nanny, Maria, called you around 3pm because Owen had been screaming his head off for nearly two hours. Nothing she did would calm him which was strange because you’d seen her with Owen and he had taken to her well.

Since you were done with class for the day, you’d told her that you would head over and see if you could get him to sleep. Within five minutes of you taking Owen, he’d stopped his tantrum and was curled against you sound asleep. Maria murmured something about how he’d just missed you and while you hated to admit it, it seemed like she had a point. She seemed exhausted and seemed like she had a headache so you assured her that she could head home and you would stay with Owen. As she left she informed you that Auston had mentioned having the guys over around dinner time.

You were dancing around the kitchen with Owen watching you from his swing when Auston came home. He was talking loudly with Mitch Marner, Morgan Rielly, Frederik Andersen, and Zach Hyman and you rolled your eyes.

“Don’t you know you’re supposed to be quiet in case the baby is sleeping…” You called out scolding them teasingly, honestly thankful that Owen had woken from his nap shortly before because you would be annoyed if they had woken him after how long it had taken you and Maria to get him to sleep.

“Y/n, what are you doing here?” Auston asked when he came around the corner to find you layering noodles with pasta sauce, ricotta cheese, and a mixture of italian sausage and ground beef. If the guys were going to be here for dinner you figured homemade lasagna was better than them ordering pizza out.

“Maria called me when Owen wouldn’t stop screaming.” You declared with a shrug, turning to grab a bag of italian cheese out of his fridge. “And before you ask or insinuate, no she wasn’t doing anything wrong, she was super patient with him, he just was being fussy and evidently missed me.” After adding the final layers to the lasagna, you popped it into the oven and set the timer before looking back at him. “And she had the start of a migraine coming on so I told her to go home and that I’d stay here.”

“Oh.” Auston murmured and before he could say anything else his teammates had descended on the kitchen.

“There’s the little man…” Mitch declared spotting Owen and seeing the baby crinkle his face up you chuckled to yourself as you turned to fetch a bottle as Owen’s cries echoed through the room. Mitch immediately jumped back declaring that he hadn’t even touched him and after running the bottle under hot water and testing it on your wrist you held it out to him.

“He’s just hungry. If you pick him up and feed him I’m sure you’ll be his new best friend.” You assured him. Once his teammates helped him get a handle on Owen, you handled the bottle over to let Mitch feed him and then turned back to the kitchen to cut up some vegetables for a salad.

“You don’t have to do all that…” Auston whispered softly from beside you.

“I don’t mind, but if you want me to leave so you can have boys night that’s fine.” You stated, wiping your hands on a dish towel as you glanced over your shoulder at him. The last thing you wanted to do was interfere with his life. You were friends and you watched Owen but that was all and so if he wanted some time alone with his teammates you certainly couldn’t fault him for that.

“No. No. It’s fine.” He assured you. “I just…you already do so much. You don’t have to make dinner for all my teammates too. We could have just ordered out.”

“Yeah because that’s good for you…” You stated smirking. “I’d rather you guys not be sluggish tomorrow because you ate unhealthy take out with way too much sodium. It’s not like throwing together a lasagna is hard Aus…”

Throwing his hands up in defeat he murmured a thank you before heading to chat with his teammates and supervise his best friend feeding his son. It wasn’t long before the empty bottle was being placed beside the sink and you called out a reminder to bump Owen because otherwise getting him to sleep tonight would be as difficult as it was this afternoon and you really didn’t want a cranky baby tomorrow because he didn’t sleep enough today.

With dinner completely prepped, you slipped back to the guest bedroom where all your things were in order to relax for a few minutes while the lasagna cooked. With your door cracked, the noise was muffled and you were able to flop down on the bed to try and get some reading done for your classes the next day.

With your focus on your reading material you didn’t look up until there was a rap at the door and Morgan Rielly popped his head into the room.

“Um..y/n the timer on the stove went off and no one was sure if it meant food was done or…”

Sliding off the bed after marking your spot in your book you followed him back to the kitchen.

“It’s almost done, I just need to pull the foil off and put it back in with some garlic bread.” The bread was homemade as well, a loaf of french bread with fresh garlic butter. It didn’t take long for the oven timer to be set again and once everything was taken care of you grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

Looking toward the couch, Freddie now had Owen cuddled into his chest while the baby slept again and the rest of the guys had started to play NHL 19. All of them except for Morgan who had followed you and was watching as you finished making dinner.

“Did you want some help getting plates and stuff out?” He asked you, hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans.

“That would be great. Do you know where everything is?” You responded sure that he probably did but not wanting to leave him hanging if not. The fact that he proceeded to all of the correct cabinets to get out six sets of everything answered your question.

Morgan set everything on the counter in the form of a buffet line, even grabbing the salad you’d made from the fridge. Then he’d disappeared to the living room for a moment before he was back pulling bottles of water and a few beers from Auston’s fridge. Seeing you already had your own he just smiled at you and winked causing a slight blush to unconsciously grace your cheeks.

Soon after, the timer on the stove went off again and as you pulled things from the stove, Morgan set out a few more pot holders onto the counter so that you could rest the lasagna there while the bread stayed on the stove.

“Thanks for the assist.” You told him before going to call the rest of the team in to get some food.

When you returned to the kitchen he was offering you a plate and after raising an eyebrow at him you took it gratefully.

“You cooked, it’s only fair you get the first serving.” He explained. “Also assists are kinda my thing.” His reference made you laugh and you tipped your head to him in acknowledgement.

“Fair enough.” You mused, heading to sit down on Auston’s loveseat, ready to dig into dinner since you hadn’t really eaten since breakfast. The baby monitor on the coffee table showed Owen in his crib and you sighed grateful that the baby was getting the sleep he’d missed out on this afternoon. Hopefully it didn’t mess his schedule up too badly.

Each of the guys stumbled back into the room, plates overloaded with food and you were grateful that you had seemingly gone overboard worried that it wouldn’t be enough. Morgan was the last to return and the only seat left was the one right next to you so he lowered himself into it trying not to topple the plate balanced on your lap.

Apparently all it took to shut a group of hockey players up was to provide food for them to shove into their mouths. NHL network played on the tv and while you were sure they were watching it, no one seemed too invested. Seeing as you had a normal person’s amount of food compared to their heaping servings, you were the first to finish and you placed your dishes in the dishwasher before tossing your now empty water bottle into the recycling bin.

The guys had pretty much decimated the food so you consolidated what little was left to one tray before working on cleaning up everything else. Having turned some music back on quietly, you sang along as you cleaned and after about fifteen minutes the sound of footsteps approaching finally appeared. Again it was Morgan, now carrying a stack of plates. When he reached you, he bumped you to the side with his hip.

“You cooked, we can clean up.” He insisted. You really didn’t mind but the look on his face told you not to argue with him. “Also, thanks, that was probably the best meal I’ve had in months.” The sincerity behind his compliment surprised you. All of the guys had thanked you for dinner and the way they were inhaling it told you it was good but Morgan was taking the compliments to the next level.

“You’re welcome. It really wasn’t anything that special.” You stated, downplaying your efforts as always. You knew that you could have just left them to fend for themselves by ordering pizza or chinese and maybe it was silly but you felt like Auston deserved better than that. He’d been balancing a lot on his plate and you knew he wasn’t eating the way he should most nights.

“Hey, I’m serious.” Morgan insisted as he finished rinsing each dish before adding it to the dishwasher. “Auston is lucky to have you as a friend. He’s told us everything you’ve done for him and we both know you didn’t have to. Shit we’re his teammates and I’m positive we haven’t done a fraction of the things for him that you have.”

Auston had thanked you time and again so you knew he appreciated you. At the same time though, Morgan’s acknowledgement felt different. Almost like he was really seeing you. Seeing you in a way that Auston never had.

“I’m gonna go check on Owen and then get back to my reading. Thanks for finishing up dishes.” You whispered, taking in one more glance at Auston’s teammate before slipping down the hall to the nursery. Owen was still asleep and you ran your fingers over his cheek before going into the spare bedroom and closing the door.

There were a million things you needed to do and you knew you should sit down and start reading again. Instead you took a moment and leaned back against the door, your eyes falling shut as you let out a shaky breath. “What the hell was that Morgan Rielly?”


	5. Chapter 5

Owen was now almost three months and watching him had gotten harder for sure. It wasn’t the actual taking care of Owen though that was the problem, it was that things with Auston. You knew the leafs were starting to make their final playoff push and you understood that it would cause Auston to focus more attention and time to the rink. It wasn’t that he wasn’t being a good dad, because he was nothing but doting on Owen when he was home, it was more the fact that he was snippier and more distant with you.

Lately, it had been hard to feel appreciated when Auston barely acknowledged you besides asking about Owen. Gone were the lighter conversations, the nights spent watching movies together, Auston spilling whatever was on his mind and asking for your thoughts. Instead, when you knew Auston was going to be home, you made yourself scarce, usually going back to your own apartment. It was hard to blame him, he was under a lot of pressure as a player and with the fans and trying to be a good dad on top of that.

____

Today Owen was turning three months old. Knowing that the team had had a particularly long week on the latest road trip, you wanted to do something special for Auston since besides a three am feeding after getting in the night before he hadn’t gotten to spend time with Owen in close to a week. Plus Owen was getting to the point where when you were watching the game he was able to follow along a little and he clearly recognized his daddy when the tv cameras zoomed in on Auston. It was already clear that the baby boy loved watching hockey over anything else you put on tv.

By the time you woke up, Auston had already headed off to the rink to view films before morning practice. Feeding Owen his breakfast you got him cleaned up and dressed. Deciding to take the three-month pictures before you forgot, you moved to Auston’s closet and snuck a jersey out of it, bringing it to the living room where Owen was laying on a mat playing. After spreading the jersey out on the floor, you laid Owen down so that his back was covering the four on the back, leaving the three exposed as well as the name Matthews along the top.

It took a few minutes to get Owen to smile up at you, his face crinkling as he laughed when you made farm animal noises. As he was smiling you snapped a few pictures before quickly scanning through them to find the best one. You’d send it out later, first, you had to make sure that a certain someone would be alright with your surprise plans.

____

Forty minutes later you had cleaned everything up, reloaded Owen’s diaper bag and made your way to the Leafs practice facility. You’d spoken with Babcock who confirmed that it was a closed practice this morning and who’d agreed that maybe it would be good for all the guys to have a little distraction at practice. Leaving Owen’s car seat in your car, you cuddled the infant on your hip before making your way inside, following Babcock’s directions on how to get to the bench.

Security just nodded at you as you passed and it wasn’t long before the chill of the ice reached your body. You’d dressed Owen in extra layers and he currently had a blanket draped over him as well, so you weren’t worried about him being cold. The boys were all on the ice running drills as you slid onto the bench and Owen started babbling at the familiar noise of sticks on pucks. You’d brought earmuffs in case it was too loud for him but right now he seemed okay, leaning away from your body a bit to try and get closer to the boys on the ice.

Babcock, of course, was the first to spot you and he simply nodded before yelling another direction. After that, it only took another minute before some of the other guys noticed you and immediately started nudging Auston. Auston’s eyes went wide seeing you but he didn’t approach until Babs called for a hydration break.

“What are you doing here?” He asked, voice low and slightly accusatory as he approached, drinking out of a Gatorade bottle. “You know you can’t be at practices…”

His reaction kind of threw you off and you tried not to look hurt at his words. You had thought he’d be happy to see his son, just to be in the same building even if he had things he needed to do. He always talked about Owen getting to see him play someday and so you had thought he might enjoy this.

“We’re here because I thought it might be a nice surprise, for you and for the guys. It’s been a rough week and I thought Owen might bring some smiles.” The way Auston was looking at you made your stomach drop and you quickly swallowed before kissing Owen’s head as he stared up at his daddy. “And I called and checked to make sure it was okay with your coach before we even left the apartment and he seemed to think it was a pretty good idea too…”

At this point, you certainly had a bit of an audience and you hoped that Auston didn’t make a big deal over it.

“We’re just here to watch, Owen likes watching his dad, we’ll stay out of your way if that’s what you want.” Taking another drink, Auston didn’t say anything else, though he did lean in to kiss Owen’s head before he skated off to the other side of the rink. A few of the other guys gave you pitying looks as they skated by, reaching to touch Owen’s head affectionately or to tickle his belly.

As they resumed drills, Mitch seemed thrilled with at least Owen’s presence, turning and making silly faces at the infant. You’d adjusted Owen so that he was bouncing on his chubby legs, feet pressed onto the top of the boards. It was something to help him build leg strength and parenting forums and books all suggested giving him the opportunity when you could. Since the guys were working on a skating drill you didn’t have to worry about flying pucks coming your way and so there was no harm in letting the little boy show off his newfound strength.

Morgan also had a smile on his face as he talked with a few of the other guys, his gaze drifting back to you every so often. When babs had paused to instruct the forwards for a few minutes he skated over and started talking to Owen, telling him all about what they were doing and causing the baby to babble back at him. Then he looked up at you.

“Thanks for bringing this little guy by, everyone seems pretty excited to see him even if Auston is being a grump about it all. He’s getting big.” There was that nagging pit at the back of your mind that again pointed out that Morgan was thanking you for something that Auston hadn’t even acknowledged.

“Three months old today.” You responded kissing the infant’s head before pulling him back to your body as the team started working with pucks again. Nodding and smiling, Morgan sent you a wink before jumping back into practice.

_____

Practice ended after Morgan hit Auston into the boards, harder than he needed to for sure and Auston retaliated by shoving him before storming past you to the locker room. At that point, you’d thought about taking Owen home before you caused any more trouble but a few of the guys, namely Mitch and Patrick insisted that they wanted to see Owen after they changed. Agreeing to wait, you took Owen back to the hallway outside the locker room where you pulled a mat for Owen out before laying him on his stomach to get some time exercising those muscles as well.

Soon after there was shouting from the locker room and though you couldn’t hear what was being said, one of the voices was definitely Auston’s.

***

Inside the locker room, Auston was sitting in his stall trying to get out of his gear while Morgan stood in front of him.

“Just so you know, you were a real jackass this morning.” Morgan declared shaking his head. “She was just trying to do something to make you happy, you didn’t need to go off on her.”

“Butt out of it, it’s none of your business.” Auston snapped as he chucked his elbow pads into his stall. The rest of the room was trying not to eavesdrop but was also curious as to why their top defenseman was going after Auston.

“God, you really don’t see what is right in front of you do you?” Morgan asked though it was clearly a rhetorical question. “That woman has stepped up to take care of your child, of you, when she didn’t have to and she hasn’t asked for anything in return. She’s put her entire social life on hold for you, doing nothing but going to school and taking care of your son. She is always thinking about you over everything else. And you don’t see it…you don’t see how incredible and gorgeous she is.” Shaking his head in disbelief, Morgan turned to head back to his own stall, tugging his jersey and pads off of his body.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Auston yelled, getting up this time himself and storming across the room to Morgan. Shrugging his shoulders, Morgan ran his fingers through his hair before looking up.

“It means sure, you’re right that today was none of my business, and maybe you don’t see that y/n is prime wife and mother material but I do. So since you’re obviously not going to make a move, I will.” Stripping out of the rest of his gear he turned to head to the showers. “That woman deserves someone who tells her each and every day how appreciated she is and that she’s beautiful and wanted. That’s something I can definitely do.”

****

You were reading a story to Owen as he played with a set of plastic keys when Mitch and Patrick came out of the room, smiles on their faces but a perplexed look in their eyes.

“What was all the yelling about?” You asked, setting the book aside because there was no way Owen was going to be able to pay any attention to it with the two other men in front of him. Quickly Mitch sat down on the ground in front of Owen, engaging with the baby and therefore avoiding your question.

“Nothing you need to worry about, just airing some grievances.” Patrick declared before also squatting down next to the baby who was smiling and babbling away. He was going to crash hard when you got him home, which was good because you could use some time alone to think.

The three of you looked up when the door slammed open, just in time to see Auston’s familiar form dressed in a t-shirt, sweats, and tennis shoes walking away from you toward the weight room. Both men in front of you cringed and you raised an eyebrow even more skeptical that they hadn’t told you the truth. Neither would meet your eyes and you let out a frustrated sigh.

“I’m going for a walk, I’m putting the two of you in charge of Owen. Only because I’m sure Patrick can supervise you, Mitch.” Pushing yourself from the ground, you grabbed your phone from the diaper bag before heading in the direction opposite of where Auston had gone, needing some air.

You’d known from the start that you were in a situation that would seriously fuck up your emotional state but you’d done everything anyway because you’d had feelings for Auston, feelings that were obviously never going to be returned despite his mother’s assurances that someday he’d see. You loved Owen like he was your own, and so there was no way you could ever walk away unless it reached a point that Auston told you to. At this point, it seemed like you were destined to be alone forever.

Sitting on the steps outside the rink, you tried to fight back tears with little success. Eventually, you could feel the presence of another person, as they lowered themselves to the ground next to you.

“Shit…y/n…” The voice muttered after a moment, a thumb reaching out to brush against your cheek. A glance to your periphery revealed Morgan and for some unknown reason, your pulse jumped. “He’s a fucking idiot.” He added. “You’re out here crying over him and he doesn’t even see you, doesn’t realize what’s right in front of him.” You didn’t want to cry in front of Morgan, didn’t want anyone to see how much all of this with Auston had affected you, you were supposed to be stronger than this.

“Please stop crying.’ He whispered pleadingly, cupping your cheek to force you to meet his gaze. “You deserve so much better than crying over him.” After a moment he wrapped you in a solid hug, immediately flooding your body with warmth. Morgan only pulled away when your breathing had settled, signaling the end of your tears.

“There we go.” He declared, bright smile once again directed at you. “Now what are you doing out here besides crying?” He asked. “And who did you leave the little dude with?”

“I needed some air, I could hear Auston yelling about something in the locker room and then Patrick and Mitch wouldn’t give me a straight answer so I left Owen with them for some space.” You could hear Morgan sigh before he spoke again.

“He was yelling about you…with me…” Morgan’s voice was soft as he spoke, urging you silently to just listen. “I called him out on the way he treated you and he was pissed, declaring that it wasn’t my business. I told him he was a fool for not seeing you, really seeing you the way I do and…” At this point, you noticed that Morgan’s knee was bouncing and he was rubbing his hands along his thighs. “I told him that if he wasn’t going to make a move on you then I was.” Your eyes went wide and you looked up at Morgan whose cheeks were flushed as he gazed at you.

“Y/n…can I take you on a date?” He questioned, quickly clearing his throat. Looking up into his blue eyes you saw nothing but sincerity and while it confused you, you found yourself nodding.

“I…I’d like that.” You agreed, your cheeks flushing.

“Great.” Morgan declared enthusiastically. “How’s Tuesday night?” If Morgan was free than it meant that Auston was too and so you once again nodded, smiling softly.

“I think I can make Tuesday work.” You agreed.

“Good… you like Italian right?” He confirmed though since you’d cooked it for them a month prior it should be pretty clear that you did.

“Of course, carbs are my best friend and my worse enemy.” You mused, taking his hand when he stood up and offered it out to pull you to your own feet.

“Me too…” He agreed, his voice now lighter than you’d ever heard it as he opened the rink doors for you and guided you inside. Stopped just before you turned the corner where you’d left Mitch and Patrick with Owen, Morgan brushed his thumb over your cheek once more. “So I’ll pick you up at say 6? You can text me your address. Dress somewhere between casual and fancy?”

“Sure.” You agreed, tucking a stray strand of hair behind your ear.

“I’m looking forward to it. I promise I won’t let you down.” He declared.

After a somewhat awkward two second hug, he walked away, back toward one of the offices in the building, leaving you standing alone. Holy hell..Morgan Rielly had just asked you out.


	6. Chapter 6

You’d spent the entire weekend ignoring Auston. Instead of spending your entire day at his place, you’d asked Maria to work daytimes and only gone over the evening that Auston had a game, arriving after he’d already left for the arena and settling into bed before he got home. You knew you shouldn’t be but you were still angry at him for the way he’d acted and the fact that he hadn’t even attempted to apologize.

Tonight was your date with Morgan and you hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it. Your focus during class was at an all-time low and you spent every minute you had outside of class trying to decide what to wear. Morgan had said to wear something between casual and fancy and that was a very broad spectrum. Dresses had never been your friend, they always made you feel fat because they left your thick thighs and lower legs on display. Jeans were always what you felt most comfortable in but you weren’t sure if that was too casual.

It was already three pm and you still had no clue what to wear. Flopping back onto your bed, you tried not to cry in frustration. Either you had the worst or the best luck because at that moment your phone rang, Ema Matthews’s name lighting up the screen. You sniffled a bit as you answered the phone and she quickly picked up on it asking if everything was okay.

“I’m fine. Just hating my body right now.” The words had left your mouth before you could censor yourself and Ema’s motherly clucking reached your ears.

“Does this have something to do with a certain date tonight?” She asked, tone slightly teasing but comforting at the same time. When you didn’t respond, feeling slightly guilty, you could hear her sighing softly.

“You’re allowed to go out and have fun, y/n. I’m happy and excited for you. Morgan is a good guy who, from what I’ve heard, clearly adores you, he’ll treat you right. I know you have feelings for mi niño idiota (my idiot son) but give Morgan a chance.”

“I want to…I’ve been thinking about the date all day. My silly self-conscious thoughts are currently taking over though because I’ve been struggling all day to figure out what to wear. I feel like jeans are too casual but dresses make me feel fat and I want to look good.” Your tone was defeated and you hated feeling this way but all attempts to push past it had failed thus far.

Your phone vibrated in your hands and you couldn’t help but smile seeing that Ema had requested to switch to facetime. Accepting the request you adjusted your phone while wiping at your eyes.

“Show me your closet dear. We’ll find you something to wear.” She assured you. You were grateful that she didn’t comment on your insecurities but instead simply wanted to find a solution. Your closet was a bit of a mess from digging through it off and on all day but you slowly scanned your phone around it to give Ema an idea of what you had. You were by no means a fashionista so there really wasn’t much of a selection. “Grab those teal pants.” Ema directed and you pulled out the hanger, laying it on your bed. They weren’t technically jeans but a little bit nicer of a pant and you wondered why you hadn’t thought about them before.

Ema had you pick out a few blouses, showing her what they would look like with the pants and asking about which were ones you were more comfortable in. Eventually, she settled on a simple black blouse that had ¾ length sleeves. Since you weren’t much of a heel person she directed you to wear your black toms flats and after looking over your jewelry simply picked out a single strand pearl necklace that you’d been given for your undergraduate graduation.

“What’s the weather like there today dear?” She asked and when you told her it was mid-40s she mentioned grabbing the tan cardigan that was also hanging in your closet as an extra layer in case you got cold. “You’re going to look beautiful. I’ll let you go so that you can do your hair and makeup even though you don’t need to. Take a deep breath and have fun.” She declared and following her direction you focused on your breathing.

“Thank you, Ema…I really appreciate your help.” You murmured.

“It’s not a problem. Make sure to send me pictures so that I can torture my son with them.” She teased causing you to laugh softly before assuring her that you would and hanging up.

—-

It was almost 5:30 before you had finished curling your hair and applying light makeup. Morgan was supposed to pick you up in half an hour and you still needed to change and calm your nerves. Quickly you turned some music on, wondering why you hadn’t thought of it before. The sound of the music caused you to relax a little and within fifteen minutes you were dressed. After applying some essential oils to your wrists and neck as perfume, you slid all your necessary items into a small crossbody purse and moved to the couch to wait for Morgan to arrive.

Thankfully, a knock sounded on your door right at six and after mentally yelling at yourself to stop your hands from shaking you quickly moved to answer it, smiling as the tall defenseman appeared in front of you. He was wearing a simple pair of black pants and a grey button-up and his left hand contained a small bouquet of flowers. Looking him over your heart rate spiked and when his voice reached your ears commenting on how beautiful you looked you felt your cheeks flush with warmth.

“You clean up well too, though everyone kind of already knew that.” You murmured, reminding yourself to breathe.

“Oh, these are for you…” He trailed off, having realized that the flowers were still in his hand. Taking them from him you couldn’t help but smile and motioned for him to come inside while you moved to put them into a vase.

“They’re beautiful, thank you.” You declared, cutting the steps quickly to arrange them while Morgan looked around your living room. With not really living there half the time it was pretty clean thankfully. Pictures of your family and a few of Owen and Auston are scattered around various surfaces and while it seems normal to you, you can’t help but worry that it will seem odd to him.

He didn’t say anything as he finally came around to lean across the breakfast bar in front of you though. Tossing the excess stems, you wiped your hands on a dishtowel before setting the vase up on the counter of the bar. “All set.” You stated, moving around to the other side of the counter. Morgan’s hand slipped into the curve of your lower back in a guiding motion and after settling from the initial jolt you flushed as another feeling of pure warmth flooded up your spine.

When you reached his car, Morgan opened the door for you and helped you in before heading around to the driver’s seat. As soon as he started the car, soft music flooded through the speakers and you smiled at the song that was playing over the radio. The drive to the restaurant was quiet but it wasn’t awkward and when you arrived Morgan gave his name to the hostess and the two of you were led back to a corner table. Its location hid you from prying public eyes and you were grateful because you’d surfaced in a few photos with Auston and the social media response hadn’t been so good. You didn’t want to think about what it would be like in a setting that was clearly a date.

When the waiter came by the first time Morgan ordered wine for the two of you. Looking around the restaurant you smiled seeing that it was nice but not overly fancy to where it made you feel uncomfortable. Alone again, Morgan insisted that you order whatever you want and after it was clear that you’d made a decision he asked about school. Though you weren’t sure how this date would go, you were surprised at how easily you got along with Morgan. He was kind and attentive and his questions showed that he really was listening and interested in getting to know the bits of you that didn’t involve you taking care of his teammate’s baby.

As you sipped on wine and ate some of the best Italian food you’d ever had in your life, you chatted with Morgan about your childhoods, your interests and your plans for the future. In turn, Morgan shared stories about himself, making you laugh repeatedly and filling your heart with a feeling that you wanted so many more nights just like this.

Morgan had been trying to convince you to order dessert, claiming that if you ordered it he could steal some but that his trainer wouldn’t have to know when your phone started ringing from inside your clutch beside you. It was a ringtone attached to Auston and you groaned audibly murmuring an apology to Morgan as you reached inside to stop the device from making noise.

Auston had to know that you were on a date and it made you angry that now he was calling when he hadn’t bothered in days. The second you silenced your phone it rang again and when you declined the call immediately it rang a third time. Shaking your head you completely silenced your phone before tossing it back into your purse. From across the table, Morgan sent you a concerned look.

“Auston is just being a pain. I’m sorry.” You murmured. The second the words left your mouth Morgan’s phone rang and after showing you that it was Auston calling him as well, Morgan answered.

“Dude…she’s made it pretty clear that she doesn’t want to talk to you right now.” Morgan immediately stated but even from across the table you could hear the pained screams of a baby through the phone.

“Put her on please…” Auston begged him and with a sigh Morgan handed the phone to you, both of you slightly alarmed by the sound of Owen in the background. “Fuck Y/N. I’m sorry. You’re pissed at me and you have every right to be but please…Owen has been throwing up and I don’t know what to do.” He murmured and you could hear the fear in his voice. Glancing across the table Morgan sent you a supportive nod and you sighed.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can. Do you have a thermometer to take his temperature?” You questioned. Across the table, Morgan was flagging down the bill and by the time you were off the phone with Auston, Morgan was offering you a hand up from the table.

“I’m sorry.” You whispered to him as you handed his phone back. “I can take an uber over if you want.” You added not wanting to drag him into the mess that seemed like it was going to continue to follow you despite how wonderful tonight had been.

“Don’t be silly.” Morgan insisted, his hand falling to your lower back as he led you out of the restaurant. “Do we need to stop at a drugstore?” He questioned and you merely nodded at him, worry growing in the pit of your stomach. Owen was still so small and his immune system was even weaker than most babies due to the circumstances of his birth and not being breastfed. As you reached Morgan’s car, he simply pulled you close to him for a hug. “He’s going to be okay.” He insisted and within a minute you were tucked into his car as he drove to the nearest drugstore.

When he pulled up out front, you promised that you would be back in just a minute. Morgan murmured to take your time and you quickly hopped out, bursting into the store to search for the aisles containing what you needed. After a few minutes, you had picked up some Pedialyte, a temporal thermometer, and a thing of baby pain reliever just in case. It wasn’t long after you climbed back into Morgan’s car before you had arrived at Auston’s building.

With Morgan following, you headed upstairs and let yourself into Auston’s apartment, the sound of Owen screaming immediately filling your ears. Auston was attempting to rock him, standing in front of the tv and after dropping the shopping back to the couch, you immediately reached out for the infant. Auston didn’t hesitate in handing him over and you quickly dropped your lips to Owen’s head. He felt slightly warm but not overly so, but the fact that he had been throwing up worried you more than anything. Rubbing his back you just tried to soothe him, the ache in your stomach growing even more.

“Can one of you open the thermometer for me and can the other fill up one of Owen’s 4 oz bottles with some Pedialyte?” You questioned. It seemed like it was only then that Auston realized that Morgan had come with you though he obviously had known the two of you had been out together. Thankfully though, neither said a word as they worked to do what you had asked, everyone’s efforts fully on taking care of the baby.

Owen’s screams had quieted a little bit by the time Morgan handed you the thermometer and after running it across Owen’s forehead you sighed in relief. He had a slightly elevated fever but it honestly wasn’t anything to be too concerned about though he did seem paler than normal.

“Shhh.” You attempted soothing him once more, this time singing softly to him until his eyes were peering up at you but not a sound fell from his lips. “That’s a boy.” You praised, now noticing Auston standing behind you with the small bottle. “Let’s see if we can get you to drink a little something. It’ll make you feel better.” You murmured and after adjusting him in your arms you offered him the bottle. The moment he saw it he started fussing again and you bit your lip, thinking. It took a few more tries for him to take it but when he noticed that it wasn’t his normal drink he sucked eagerly.

“Hey, Auston…bring me his formula?” You requested and though he seemed puzzled Auston did just that. Looking over the side of the container you gasped and everything suddenly made sense. “When did you pick this one up…and from where?” You questioned. Though Auston answered it was clear that he didn’t understand why you were asking.

Handing the container back you murmured for him to look at the date and when he did he cursed softly. “Language.” You reminded him softly, just grateful that Owen seemed to at least be feeling a little bit better now. You knew Auston was now blaming himself and you sighed, brushing your fingers over the light hair on Owen’s head. “It’s not your fault Auston…but it is something you need to be aware of in the future.” The formula was nearly a year expired and after seeing Owen’s behavior you were certain that it had been making him feel sick which was why he’d been throwing up.

“You need to take it back to the store and demand a replacement.” You directed. “Maybe not tonight but if you don’t have any other formula that’s good then you do need to get something because he can’t drink Pedialyte all night.” For one little feeding, it was okay, it would keep him hydrated and settle his stomach but it was not going to give him the nutrition he needed to be used any longer than that.

With a sigh, Auston murmured that he would be right back and you heard him grab his keys and wallet before walking out the door. It was only once he was gone that you sat down with Owen on your lap now babbling happily since he had finished the Pedialyte. Once you were seated you felt Morgan approach before sitting next to you.

“I’m sorry our date was ruined.” You whispered, not wanting to startle the infant who was slowly drifting off, exhausted from his screaming fit.

“Our date wasn’t ruined…” Morgan insisted, his hand resting gently on your knee as he watched you care for Auston’s child. “You love him don’t you?” He questioned after a moment.

“Of course I love Owen…he’s pretty hard not to love.” You declared, kissing his soft head and smiling as he clung tighter to you in response.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it. You love Auston.” Morgan stated softly causing you to sigh.

“It wouldn’t matter if I did Mo.” You breathed, though you were slightly uncomfortable talking about it. “I’m on a date with you, aren’t I? Or at least I was…” You trailed off.

“Hey….it’s okay.” Morgan insisted. “Just because you love Auston doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy our time together. And if I can help you make Auston see sense well then all the better. You’re a special woman y/n. You deserve to be happy.” He declared and you watched as he rubbed a large hand over Owen’s back. “And even if I can only make you happy for right now…well that’s at least something.”

Turning your head you couldn’t help but take Morgan in for a moment, he was such a wonderful man and you really didn’t know how to process everything he’d just told you. Leaning forward you pressed your lips against his lightly, feeling him smile against you. “You’re gonna make some woman very very lucky someday.” You assured him.

“Does that mean I can make you happy until then?” He questioned teasingly.

“If you’re willing to deal with all of this bs…I’d like nothing more Mo.” You murmured, kissing him softly once more, letting it linger until you pulled away needing to breathe.

“Perfect. Do you know how to skate yet?” Morgan questioned looking shocked when you admitted that you didn’t. “Then that’ll be date two.” He declared, bright smile on his face. “Are you staying here tonight or going home?” He asked after a moment and you sighed thinking about it. On one hand, you were certain Owen was going to be fine, on the other you weren’t so sure Auston wasn’t still going to be freaking out which would cause Owen to feel unsettled and upset. Seeing the look on your face, Morgan kissed you one final time before standing up.

“Stay here tonight. Make sure the little dude is okay and that Auston doesn’t lose his mind. I’ll call you tomorrow.” He stated, his hands dropping to fall into his pockets. “I had a really good time tonight. So don’t go overthinking it.” He teased, causing you to nod in agreement, standing up to see him out.

Once Mo was gone, you laid Owen down in his crib before collapsing back onto Auston’s couch. Tonight had just made everything even more complicated and you groaned unsure of how all of this was going to play out.

~~~~~~

Chapter outfit: 


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